The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-01-12
THE GARFIELD AUTOPSY.
A Talk With the Man Who Embaimed the
Body.
New York Correspondence st. Louis Repub


Body
| New York Correspondence St Ioufs Renub
Hc2n.
1t was not idle curiosity nor ghoullsb
| propensity that took me to the winding iron
stairway Of the medical department of the
New York University the other day, to the
dissecting-room, but the assurance of a stu
dent friend that 1 would probable hear q
story there that would be worth telling,
shall not. therefore, shock the reader with
any pen pictures of what [ saw in that room,
although L may say in passing that by the
skllliul embalming Of the subjects and
the perfect sanitation secured in this insti-
tuition, the study and practical demon
shation of the wonderful and beautiful
scieuce OF anatomy is robbed OF many of the
revolt ting features that formerly attended it,
The presiding genius of the place is DIR. F.
ID. Weisse, than whom, presume, there is
not in this country a more learned and
skillful anatoh1ist, or one who makes mis-
lectures and demonstrations more absorb
ingly interesting Once warmed I'D in his
subject-and he always warns up when he
lectures to a classic becomes DELIGHTFULLY."-
eloquent, and when he takes the knife in
his hand to show upon the subject what he
has described In language and illustrated by
charts the organs he would display appear
by magic beneath his skillful manipulation
1t IS an intellectual treat, even for one I'M
familiar with the science, to listen TO one Of
DR.. Weisses lectures
His chief lieutenant and executive officer
is Jimmy" Walsh, a mlddle-aged man Of
medium stature, pleasing face, agreeable ad-
dress and quick intelligence. His duty is to
obtain the subjects for dissection from the
public institutions, embalm and prepare
them for the use of the students, keep the
dissecting-room in proper sanitary condi-
ton and attend upon DR.. Weisse at his lect-
ures aud demonstrat' ons. Although not pro-
fessionally educated, "Jimmy's" thirteen
years experience in the department of anat-
omy of the New York University and Belle
vue Hospital medical colleges has given him
a familiarity with the structure of the hui
man body
POSSESSED BY VERY FEW
specialists even. The students go to him
freely for assistance and instruction in their
dissectiDg, and he always gives it in cheer
ful, modest way.
Didn't Dr. Frank Hamilton come up here
frequently during the last sickness of Presi-
dent GaTfield?" l asked of Jimmy" desir-
ing to draw him into conversation upon that
interesting subject
Yes, he came here every time he returned
from q visit 10 Washington. Gunshot
wounds were his speciality, you know, and
he made many experiments here to deter
mine the penetrative power of bullet shot
from pistol such as was used by Guitsau,
III 4
would take"
How were those experiments made?"
i got body for him, that Of a man
weighing about 225 pounds, and we hung it
up on that hook" pointing to bracket of
iron extending about three feet from the
wall, near the ceiling. ''rhen we stood off
about nine feet aud fired the pistol at
the body. If the balls did not strike bone
they went through the body as though it of
fered almost no resistance; if they did they
glanced and it was impossible to tell where
they would go. Here are some of the marks
of them" pointing to holes in the wall that
had been filled up with plaster, aud to an an
atomical chart, the glass over which was
broken.
did DIR. Hsmilton succeed in locating the
bullet in General Garfield's body by these ex-
periments?'
"He thought he did After his last visit
to WashiDgt ton ne came up here and, taking
bullet, he turned back the flap where the
abdomen of the subject had been opened,
placed it in position, and, putting the flap
back in its place, said to DR.. Weisse that he
knew just where the ball was, for
He FELT IT
when he put his finger on General Garfeld's
body Just as plainly rs he then felt il in the
subject before him. The point he indicated
was about two inches to the left of the me-
dial line of the body, in front, and about
"You were present at The autopsy, were
you not?"
81 was"
What took placer"
"When the body was ready for the post
norton DIR. Hamilton placed his finger on
the spot l have already mentioned and told
DIR. Lamb, of the Army Medical Museum at
Washington, who performed the operation,
to make the opening there. DIR. LAMB did
so, and put his hand in, but could feel moth
ing of the ball. Then DIR. Hamilton, who
seemed much surprised that it was not there
and somewhat excited, told me to see what
l could find, but il wasn't there. Then the
doctors directed that the body be opened at
the abdomen, and when this was done the
viscera, stomach and lungs were removed
and placed in a vessel, but no trace of the
bullet was found. There was a good deal of
confusion, owing to orders being given by
several of the doctors DIR. Lamb stood on
the left side of the body and upon the right
side assisting him. DR.. Agnew stood over
me, DR.. Bliss at the head, and the Others
were scattered about the room. None OF the
doctors handled the parts because of the
presence of py@mic assesses and the danger
of blood poisoning. DR.. Andrew III. Smith.
OF Elberon, was examining the organs in the
bowl, and he found the ball between the
spleen and the kidney"
Wasn't that some distance from any
point at which it had previously been To-
catedP'
eyes, nobody was looking for it there.
The fractured piece of the spine was re-
moved, and is now in the Army Medical
Museum at Washington. put the body in
order again, substituting a piece Of broom
stick for the missing section of the spine"
Didn't you embalm the body"
Eyes, and, although presented the very
modest bill of 5000 ! wa 7Nver even paid
for my expenses. l wrote letter about it,
and received reply from General Swain,
saying that the Government paid the ex-
peDses attending President Garheld's death
and funeral, and that his family had moth
ing to do with it. / never got anything
from the Government"